all brake lights out, taillights fine?

[1meanGTA]

on my 98 eddie bauer explorer, recently all 3 of my brake lights stopped working. the tail lights still operate normally. i checked all of the fuses in the dash and under the hood. is there anything else i can check before taking it to a dealer?

i have a multimeter and know how to troubleshoot electrical issues, but i work about 80 hours a week and if its something i'm going to have to rip up carpet and test wires all the way from the dash back to the lights, i'd rather just pay a shop to fix it for me unless there are quick things i can check.

anything common that might cause this symptom i should look for?

 

[koda2000]

probably your brake light switch has failed.

 

[4rd Xplora]

^Yep, more than likely.

 

[1meanGTA]

i went and bought a new one, slid it into place, hooked up the harness and spent about 10 minutes cussing trying to get the yellow clip back into place.

my brake lights still aren't working. the new one shouldnt need the yellow clip in place to function, right?

 

[koda2000]

i shouldn't think the yellow clip is required for it to work. usually those clips are just there to make sure connections can't come apart accidently. do you have a test meter or a test light?

 

[1meanGTA]

yes, i have a fluke multimeter.

 

[koda2000]

yes, i have a fluke multimeter.

i don't have a wiring diagram for your truck, but with the key on, can you probe the wiring harness (at the switch) to see if you have power at the switch.

i'm thinking there may be a problem with your multi-function switch.

 

[swshawaii]

Tilt steering column?

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=272030

 

[koda2000]

i don't have a wiring diagram for your truck, but with the key on, can you probe the wiring harness (at the switch) to see if you have power at the switch.

i'm thinking there may be a problem with your multi-function switch.

Also, when were under the dash changing the switch, did you notice if pressing the brake pedal was actually activating the switch? sometimes they can become lose or out of adjustment.

 

[albi1cnobi1]

Here's the diagram.

If the turn signals work then it can only be the brake pedal position switch or one of the fuses.

 

[1meanGTA]

both turn signals work fine, left and right. however, when i use the hazards, only the right side blinks? the left side remains off.

 

[albi1cnobi1]

I think the flasher issue is a separate issue. The flasher feeds into the multifunction switch to send power to the turn signals. That may just be a bad flasher or bad connection in the plug. Was just looking at the rest of the diagram and it looks like the BPP switch gets an input from the flasher through the multifunction switch. So if the BPP switch tests good it could be the multifunction switch. I'll post the rest of the diagram shortly.

You can see where the connection marked "D" in this diagram relates to the incoming connection "D" in the earlier diagram. There is an input from the flasher through the multifunction switch.

 

[albi1cnobi1]

Did you check fuse #9 and #13 in the interior fuse panel? Not trying to second guess you, just don't want to overlook or miss something .

 

[gonenuke]

Not sure if this will help, but have you checked your trailer connector? Make sure that its clean inside where the pins are.

 

[1meanGTA]

i stand corrected, and apologize for the delayed response. i've been working 12 hours a day lately and just riding my bicycle to work, i've been too tired to do much of anything. finally got around to taking a second look at it today, and i was not getting the light switch installed correctly, which is why i had so much trouble getting the pin to go back in.

replaced it, and now my brake lights and my hazards all work fine. thanks for the help!

 

[koda2000]

glad you got it figured out.

 

[tchalm]

Me too!

So I was driving along the other day, and a guy pulls up beside me at a stoplight, gets my attention and says that I have no brake lights.

I did some testing and found that the fuses were OK, the bulbs were OK. And then I found that if stepped on the brake pedal really really hard, the brake lights would go on, but flicker.

I remembered seeing this thread, found it again, went and got the switch, swapped it in, and what do you know?

Bingo! I've got brake lights again.

Getting my head into position to see that stupid yellow clip is certainly weird!

Thanks, y'all!

 

[juggaloscorpio]

Man I love this site!!!

I am selling my explorer and while checking everything out before the buyer arrives tomorrow, I found out my brake lights weren't working. Upon looking at this post for a reason why, I saw that I needed to check my brake light switch and sure enough one of the wires was breaking and it wound up completely coming off in my hand. I took the connector apart and reset the wire and reclamped it into place, I reconnected the connector and Tada!!! I have brake lights again.... Def saved me from losing any more money on this sale!!!

 

[96eb96]

For the few bucks this switch cost it is probably a good idea to replace it at your next oil change.

 

[juggaloscorpio]

also this was apparently the reason why it would not release the gear shift from park because it is now working properly too!! It's just too bad I am selling her, but i dont have a use for her anymore, she worked long and hard for me, time to let someone else enjoy her